You are in good hands with our team.

Our trainers and support staff bring a wealth of knowledge from a variety of backgrounds. We’re available to answer questions via phone or email outside of scheduled class times and organized programs, so please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Dream Dogs is owned and operated by Lori Carman, who has a proven track record of animal training for events, obedience, agility, behavior modification, and tricks. Her training methods focus on promoting the proper relationship between dog and owner in order to achieve maximum results in minimal time.

A graduate of Moorpark College's Exotic Animal Training and Management program with degrees in animal training and wildlife education, Lori has worked on television and movie sets with both dogs and exotic animals. She’s also worked as a trainer and naturalist for the Cincinnati Zoo and Southern California’s Living Desert Zoo and Gardens near Palm Springs. She brings to the table 21 years of experience training a variety of exotic animals such as bobcats, birds of prey, jackals, and chimpanzees (just to name a few), and creating interactive wildlife educational shows and programs. This unique background sets her apart from most other dog trainers.

Lori Carman and Victoria Stillwell.

World-renowned dog trainer and Animal Planet TV star Victoria Stilwell personally selected Lori to represent her in the Coachella Valley, and subsequently invited Lori to join Victoria Stilwell Positively Dog Training (VSPDT), the world's premier network of professional positive reinforcement dog trainers. Victoria rose to fame thanks to her hit TV show, “It's Me or the Dog,” through which she shares her passion for educating the public about the power of reward-based positive reinforcement training methods, as well as the dangers and ineffectiveness of traditional dominance-based philosophies.

With the formation of VSPDT, Victoria has assembled a global team of world-class positive reinforcement dog trainers dedicated to promoting humane, force-free dog training methods that result in a truly balanced human/dog relationship based on mutual trust, respect, and love. Lori currently is the only dog trainer in the Coachella Valley endorsed by VSPDT.

Sherri HalsteadOffice Manager

Sherri and Zane.

Sherri has had a number of careers, including owning a business, heading up the Docent Education Program and serving as the Public Service Manager at Colorado Springs’ Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, managing a medical office, and living every woman's dream - working in a high-end jewelry shop. After 18 years as the Human Resources Manager for a very successful manufacturing company in the Santa Barbara area, she and her husband Mark were able to retire to the desert.

Throughout her life Sherri’s had many canine friends. She and Mark share their world with their standard poodle, Zane. After taking numerous types of training classes, it became apparent Sherri had a passion for dog training. Meeting Lori and becoming part of the Dream Dogs family has led her to an unexpected “retirement career,” and the most fun she’s had in years!